Kim Harper, Cheif Executive of Community Action, on behalf of the Voluntary Sector Leadership Group, raised concerns about the proposed cuts in a letter to MPs.  

For more information about the Voluntary Sector Grant Aid Strategy 2011- 2015 visit the DCC website.

Thanks to everyone who came along to Derby's Biggest Festive Networking Event at Derby College on Wednesday morning.

It was great to see everyone swapping information and finding out what other groups are doing in these uncertain times.  We had the  unexpected excitement of evacuating the building due to the fire alarm going off but everyone managed to carry on their networking outside in the rain until we were allowed back in!

The next Voluntary Sector Forum will be held on 20 January from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the YMCA, 770 London Road, Derby DE24 8UT, with fringe meetings from 4:00 to 5:00 pm.

 

The key item for discussion at this forum will be the Voluntary Sector Grant Aid Strategy 2011-2015 so don't miss out on hearing all the latest news.

 

Booking is essential - please email Abbi Steanson or call 01332 227710 to book your FREE place.

What does Full Cost Recovery mean to your organisation?  Do you know how to analyse your performance and contribute to improving your outcomes?  If so, this half-day workshop will enable you to answer these questions and more!

 

By the end of this session, learners will:

 

Understand what Full Cost Recovery is and its importance in determining the costs of service delivery;

Recognise the importance of determining unit costs, ensuring organisations are better placed to argue the true costs of the delivery of their services ; and

Have the knowledge to assess their impact - ensuring financial data contributes in various ways so that organisations can assess their impact and secure their share of increasingly scarce resources.

 

Date and Time: Wednesday 2 February 2011

                              9:30 am to 12.30 pm

 

Venue:                Community Action, 4 Charnwood Street, Derby

 

Cost:                   Free - voluntary and community sector

                             £50 - statutory organisations

  

For more information or to book a place email Liz Gumbley or call 01332 227738

by Friday 28 January 2011.                                

 

The Department for Work and Pensions
is carrying out a consultation seeking your views on the Government's proposals to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with a new benefit - Personal Independence Payment.  The Personal Independence Payment will continue to be a non-means tested, extra costs benefit.  It will help disabled people remove the barriers they face to leading full and independent lives.  This consultation asks for views to inform the DWP policy for reforming DLA and introducing a new objective assessment.

The consultation is aimed primarily at disability organisations and disabled people, but they would like to hear from anybody who is interested.  To take part in the consultation visit the DWP website.

Rainbow Vision is hoping to work jointly with other LGB&T centres, groups and individuals across the East Midlands to develop a forum for BAME (Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic) LGB&T communities.  National research and local needs assessments have identified that BAME LGB&T people are particularly poorly represented. 

 

Through networking events and virtual forums facilitated by Rainbow Vision, the aim is to support people to come together to help improve outcomes through networking, sharing best practice, setting goals for joint working and community activism and, of course, having fun and meeting other interesting people.

 

Do you want to get involved?

Discussions have taken place with various groups and individuals across the East Midlands on how to get this forum started and possible challenges that might be faced.  You may have knowledge and contacts within BAME communities and/or you might want to be part of this new and exciting group.  Please email Rainbow Vision or call 01332 207704. They will be setting up a meeting in January so that everybody can share their ideas. Look out for a date and venue.

Derby Women's Centre are holding creative art workshops every Monday starting 12 January from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at their offices in Leopold Street.

 

Why not go along and express yourself in a fun and friendly environment and join in the creative activities - everyone is welcome!

 

For more information or to book a place please contact Elaine at Derby Women's Centre on 01332 341633.

Is your organisation heavily dependant on grant funding?  Would you like to find out more about the alternatives that could benefit the development of your organisation?  If so, this course is for you!

 

By the end of this session learners will:

Understand what trading is;

Recognise the benefits of a Social Enterprise;

Have an awareness of how to develop an enterprise; and 

Identify different sources of funding  

 

Date and Time:    Thursday 27 January 2011

                                 10:00 am to 1:00 pm  

 

Venue                     Community Action, 4 Charnwood Street, Derby   

 

Cost                         Free - voluntary and community sector

                                  £50 - statutory organisations  

 

For more information or to book a place email Liz Gumbley or call 01332 227738 by 21 January.

 

The Co-operative Community Fund awards grants of up to £2,000 to local groups for community projects all year round. Community groups, self help groups, voluntary groups and community charities (or local branches of national charities) are all eligible to apply.  For more information and an application form visit the Co-operative website

Voluntary groups and social enterprises will be given the right to challenge councils to let them deliver public services under plans in the Localism Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on 13 December.  The Communities and Local Government department has confirmed that the new legislation will contain a "community right to challenge" under which third sector groups will be allowed to express an interest in delivering any of a local authority's services.  The bill will say that councils must consider and respond to these challenges, which might mean opening a new competitive bidding process for delivery of the service that has been challenged. The group that made the challenge would then have to bid alongside other groups to run the service.

 

For more details about the bill visit the Communities website.

Derby City Partnership is writing a new long-term plan to improve the quality of life in our city.  The plan will be published in April 2011 and has had the input of local people. 

If you would like a copy of the plan and the opportunity to give your views email Lisa at DCP or call 01332 258509 but hurry as the consultation closes on 31 December.

Does your voluntary or community group need any tables and/or chairs? After a canteen refurbishment a company has kindly donated 48 tables and 400 chairs to any group who would like them - FREE of charge.

If you are interested please email Richard Massey or call 07786 198449.

Democracy Days are fast-moving and entertaining days designed to bring national know-how together with local expertise and include briefings on how our parliamentary system works, how regional and local government structures make decisions and how individuals and organisations can be heard.  Workshops and discussions are used to identify local issues, share inside knowledge, tips and strategies and to develop action plans and ideas for you to take away.

 

These events are for people to learn how to have a greater influence in local decisions, policies and strategies and are aimed at people working in voluntary organisations and community groups as well as individual community activists.  They are also highly relevant to staff in a range of public and private sector bodies who are interested in the views and expertise that local people can bring.

 

NAVCA and Community Action are holding a Democracy Day event on 8 February.  If you are interested in coming please put the date in your diary and look out for more information in the next issue of Reach Out.

Learning to Share - exploring the possibilities for local collaboration is an event being held on 14 January at the YMCA, 770 London Road in Derby from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Come along and find out how you can work better together with other organisations and statutory bodies.  The event will feature examples of real collaboration in action together with cluster workshops and a networking lunch.

Booking is essential for this event. Please email Abbi Steanson or call 01332 227710 for more information or to book your place.

The last full Census in the UK was in 2001.  A lot has changed over the last ten years.  How many more people live in England and Wales compared with ten years ago?  What kind of people are they?  And what services do they need in their area?  The best way to find out is to count them.

 

Census day will be Sunday 27 March 2011.

 

Census population estimates are vital in shaping our local communities because they:

 

·        underpin policy making and Council funding allocation from central 

      government;

·        provide information to help plan and prioritise service delivery;

·        give a benchmark for estimates of population between censuses; and

·        are unique in providing detailed demographic information about local    

      small area populations.

 

The Council will be liaising with local partners about how best to engage with local communities, particularly 'hard to count' small communities, to ensure they are accounted for.

 

If you would like to find out more about the Census, or if you want to discuss engaging with small areas populations, please email Nick Searle, call 01332

258406 or visit the Census website.  

As many of you will know Toni Montinaro is leaving Derbyshire Friend and returning to his home in Stoke-on-Trent to take up a new position as Chief Executive at Staffordshire Buddies.  Toni's last day at Derbyshire Friend will be in early January and we would like to take this opportunity to wish him lots of luck and happiness for the future - he'll be greatly missed.  Keep in touch Toni!

We'd just like to remind you that you have access to your own section of our website.  Here you can update your details and also add your news and events to our listings.  It's a great way to let the world know what you are doing!  So if you have any upcoming events or news that you would like to share with Derby - and the world - visit the Community Action website, log in with your details and get started!

If you would like to be part of Community Action Derby please email Angie Baines or call 01332 227731.  You will have FREE access to funding information, help and support for your group and the opportunity to take part in workshops and forums throughout the year.  We look forward to hearing from you!

For the second year running Derby Citizens Advice and Law Centre are offering 2 hour sessions for front-line workers or clients of voluntary organisations, funded by Nationwide.  These are participative with plenty of case examples to work through and are tailored to the needs of the organisation.  

The topics include basic bank accounts; credit; savings; budgeting; dealing with debt and understanding the welfare benefits system.  The sessions are completely FREE and include plenty of information to take away with you.  For more information and to book a place email Bill Price. 

 



Jayne Williams
Community Action Derby